Mekeisha Madden Toby

Molly Eichel

With such a complicated subject matter, The Messengers certainly has its work cut out for it to stay coherent while still staying accessible. But the pilot moves briskly enough, keeping up the desire to learn how these people deal with their newfound powers and identities, and how they will react when The Man comes a-calling.

Ed Bark

Robert Lloyd

There is some hokum in the pilot, including the odd B-movie line ("This could be a very important scientific site") and the red glowing eyes that ever signify evil. But it is smartly assembled--Stephen Williams, who directed 26 episodes of "Lost," made the good-looking pilot--and there may be enough gas in these characters to get them somewhere interesting.

Robert Bianco

Rob Owen

Press notes indicate these five folks impacted by the shockwave are “angels of the apocalypse,” but Messengers never comes out and says this. A general rule of thumb in TV reviewing: When press notes do a better job of explaining a show's intent than the show itself, viewers beware.

Vicki Hyman

Brian Lowry

As constructed, The Messengers is one of those teasing constructs that elicits more skepticism than enthusiasm, initially revealing little about the nature of the threat or what must be done to prevent it, while introducing its players without conjuring much of an investment in them.

David Wiegand

As trite, overblown and obvious as the fundamental plot is, credible, nuanced backstories for the five angels would have elevated the entire show to a more watchable level. The performances are adequate without ever reaching exceptional levels.